The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 4, March, 1903-December, 1903Oregon Historical Society
History
The quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, Vol. 4, March, 1903-December, 1903
Oregon Historical Society
Oregon -- History -- Periodicals
wagon road, the plain of the Des Chutes would be reached in about
seven miles and the Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountains Road,
where it skirts the base of Black Butte, three miles into the Des
Chutes plain, in about ten miles. In making this view and survey an
old and deeply worn trail was frequently crossed, and such a trail,
less deep, was found leading over the pass eastward. The first
observed trail gives some support to the Indian tradition of a former
native thoroughfare down the valley.
The trail out of the pass is not so much worn, neither is the Strong
trail leading off towards the west from a point about seven miles
eastward, used by Lieutenant Fremont as he passed the locality in
1843. The trail so noted reaches first the immense springs of Matoles,
where a full grown river rises from under the northeast base of Black
Butte, into which the salmon ascend in July and August for spawning
purposes, at that date and since making a valuable fishery for the
Indians, and scarcely less valuable as fisheries where the numerous
lakes to the westward, which, taken in connection with abundant game
of the entire region, make it a hunter's paradise. At the date of
Fremont's march, of which had Meek been informed in 1845, he would
have almost certainly succeeded in getting the people he led into the
Willamette Valley by that way easier than they reached The Dalles
after he abandoned them.
After the viewing out and survey of the wagon road as before related,
parties incorporated or filed articles of incorporation for a
projected railroad through the pass to Winnemucca. It was a mere
speculation on the part of persons who had neither money nor credit of
any kind. It had the effect of weakening the public interest in having
a common road constructed, so that after the lapse of the legal hold
on the pass thus attained, there was little disposition to spend money
on the opening of a common road which was liable to be destroyed at
any time by a railroad interest. An association was formed, however,
and a stock trail was opened at a cost of $1,800, in labor. As much
more spent at that time would have enabled wagons to pass. For lack of
this small sum the trail constructed did not attract the public use
except in a small measure for horses. In 1880 Hon. John B. Waldo,
while enjoying a summer recreation trip along the summit ridge, came
to a point some seven or eight miles south of the point to which the
survey had been made and over which a trail had been opened, which he
felt confident was lower than it. He spoke of it to Mr. Minto, who,
the next spring, had a small sum ($200) placed at his disposal by
Marion County in order to remove obstructions which had fallen into
the trail. After removing these obstructions that had fallen in during
the previous four years, Mr. Minto had $111 of the money left which he
asked permission of the board of commissioners to use in viewing out
and surveying the most southern of the two main branches of the Upper
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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